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(No ModeL) ZSheets-Shet 1..

J,.R DAY TOWER PIPE ATTACHMENT. FOR TRUCKS. NO. 297,919. Patented Apr. 29, 1884.

' T W v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. ,R. DAY. TOWER PIPE ATTACHMENT FOR TRUCKS.

No. 297,919. Patented Apr. 29, 18-84.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JOHN R. DAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO JACOB COHEN AND FERDINAND W. HOFELE, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

TOWER-PIPE ATTACHMENT FOR TRUCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,919, dated April 29, 1884.

Application filed September 11, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN R. DAY, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented an Improved Tower-Pipe AttachmentforHook-and-LadderTrucks; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, (on two sheets,) which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are, first, t0 provide a hook-and-ladder truck such as are used by the fire departments of cities with a convenient attachment or means for directing a stream ofwater through the windows and upon the upper parts of burning buildings,

the said attachment being constructed and connected to the truck in such manner that it will not interfere with the ordinary use of the hook-and-ladder truck, and will obviate the necessity of providing as'eparate carriage forconveying the tower-pipe to the place where it is to be used; and, secondly, to construct the apparatus in such a manner that it will be very efficient in its operation and capable of being very easily managed.

The invention consists in the combination, with an ordinary hook-and-ladder truck, of a bracket attached to the rear end of the truck and a swinging platform pivoted to said bracket and provided with a pivoted ring, in which the lower length of the tower-pipe is secured, the whole being constructed, as hereinafter particularly described, so that the platform and pipe can be raised or lowered at pleasure and swayed to and fro to permit a stream of water to be thrown in any desired direction; and my said invention further consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, all of which are hereinafter particularly set forth and described.

In the accompanying drawings, on Sheet No. 1, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the rear end of a truck,with a plan view of parts of my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of the same; and Fig. 3,a side elevation, showing the pipe in position for use. On Sheet N o. 2, Fig. 4 is a side elevation, and Fig. 5 an elevation of the rear side, of the nozpipe and its. adjuncts.

zle. Fig. 6 is a front View, and Fig. 7 a side View, of a device for blocking the wheels of the truck. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the lower end or stem of the pipe, taken through its center. Fig. 9 is a top view of the platform; Fig. 10, a top view of the bracket, and Fig. 11 a front edge view-of the bracket and platform.

' The figures on Sheet N o. 1 are on ascale. of

' about one-half the size of those on Sheet No.

2, and similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the several figures.

A represents the rear end of a hook-and ladder truck, which may be of the usual construction and its frame or body made from bars of angle-iron.

B represents my bracket for supporting the It is attached to the rear end of the truck, as shown, the bars a a being secured to the top and bottom rails of the frame of the truck by screw-bolts b b. The lower bars, a or, extend outward and form the support of a swinging platform, 0, which is pivoted thereto, as at l, and the bars a and a. are connected by an upright, c, and a bracebar, (1, on each side of the bracket. The bars a a are braced horizontally, substantially in the manner shown in Fig. 10, by means of cross-bars 2. and 3, so as to forma rigid support for the platform 0. The frame of the platform 0 is shown in Fig. 9, and consists of a cross-bar, e, and two side bars, ff, together with the bracabars 4, which latter are arranged so as to sustain the pressure on the platform of the weight of the pipe and other parts hereinafterdescribed. The ends of the bar 0 are pivoted in eyes formed in the bars a a at 1, as above mentioned, so that the platform can be raised into a horizontal position or lowered into a vertical position, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. The bracket and the frame of the platform are made of iron bars of suitable form and strength.

D represents the bottom length or stem of the pipe. It is secured within a ring, E,which is pivoted in journal-boxes F, secured upon the platform C, so that the pipe and its nozzle may be swung to and fro laterally to bring the nozzleto bear upon a particular point. These movements of the pipe are adjusted by means of a screw-rod, F, which is pivoted at its lower end to a projection, g, near the lower end of the pipe D, and which turns in its bearings and passes through a plate, G, which latter is pivoted in journal-boxes secured to the platform C, and is provided at its center with an opening, through which the rod F passes,said opening having screw-threads corresponding with those on said rod F. By these means the pipe can be swung to and fro, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

H is a coupling by which the pipe is connected with a fire-engine, hydrant, or other source of supply of water under pressure sufficient to discharge it from the pipe with the necessary force.

The platform is raised into position by means of pulleys I I, secured to the bars a a, and ropes or chains J J, which are attached to eyes or rings h h on the bars ff of theplatform at one end and to the pulleys at their other ends. Vhen raised to its highest (or working) position,its upper surface is brought in contact, or nearly so, with the under side of the bracket. These pulleys are operated by a key which fits on the squared ends of their shafts, or by other suitable means. Each pulley is held by a pawl and ratchet, 13 "i, in the usual manner.

It will be seen that while the pipe and nozzle can be swayed to and fro in one direction by means of the rod F, it can be swayed to and fro at right angles to such direction by slightly raising or lowering the platform by means of the pulleys, if desired.

Any suitable number of lengths of pipe K may be attached by means of the usual couplings to the pipe D, so as. to bring the nozzle L to the height at which it is to be used.

The nozzle and its adjuncts are constructed as follows:

L represents the metal piece, having the usual discharge-orifice at its outer end. The inner or rear end of the same is attached to the upper end of a tapering length of flexible and elastic hose, 0, the lower end of which is fitted into the upper end of a short length of metal pipe, M, which latter is attached by means of a coupling, 1, to the uppermost length of the intermediate pipe, K.

Secured to the piece L by one arm and to the pipe M by its other arm is a hinge, N, the upper end of the vertical arm of which is bifurcated, thereby forming an opening, on, to receive the bulging portion of the flexible hose 0 when the tip of the nozzle is drawn down. By these means the tip of the nozzle is enabled to travel in avertical are of nearly half a circle without aitecting the proper operation of the length of hose 0, which maintains its proper form at all times. A ring or eye, 01, is attached to the nozzle-piece L, to which is secured a cord, 0, which said cord is passed through pulleys 1?, attached to the pipes, to a suitable reel, Q, on the pipe D,

upon which it is wound. The said reel is placed in a convenient position to be operated, and the cord 0 is thereby tightened to depress the nozzle to the desired position. The resilience of the hose 0 and the action of the watcr force the tip of the nozzle upward when the cord 0 is slackened. V

The horizontal sweep or rotation of the nozzle is effected by the means shown in Fig. 8, which are as follows: The pipe D is provided with flanges p and p, the former of which fits and works in a recess, q, in the ring E, and the latter fits and works in asimilar manner in a recess, q, formed in the coupling H.

Attached to the upper section of the coup ling H is a cylindrical sleeve, 1', which fits loosely around the pipe D, the upper end of said sleeve being fitted by screw-threads into the lower section of they ring E. By means of this construction the pipe I) is free to rotate in the sleeve 0'. The recesses q and q are packed with rubber or other suitable material,

and as a further protection against leakage at the joints, annular grooves s and 8 may be formed on the flanges p and 1) and on the sides of the recesses q and q, to receive additional packing.

R is a hand-wheel fitted and secured upon the pipe D, for convenience in rotating the same. The ring E being fixed within its journal-boxes F, and the pipe D arranged, as above described, to rotate therein, the tip of the nozzle can be carried around horizontally to any desired position by rotating the hand-wheel R.

S is a ring which fits loosely on the pi peK, and rests upon a small flange, t, formed on said pipe, and is provided with two or more eyes, a, to which are attached stay ropes or guys 0, which are for the purpose of steadying the pipe when in operation. One of said ropes v maybe secured at its lower end to the truck, as at 7, and the rest of them may be attached to any rigid supports in the street,

lamp-posts or the like.

10 w are stays or braces for the purpose of preventing lateral vibrations of the body of the truck when the apparatus is in operation. They may be of iron, and are formed with rings at their upper ends, which fit into and over eyes w m, attached to the bars cc of the bracket, so that when they are not in use they can be turned around and rest on suitable supports provided for them on the body of .the truck.

T rep resents a device for blocking the wheels of the truck when the latter has been brought into the desired position for action. It consists of a swinging bracket attached by an upright flanged bar, y, to the frame of the truck immediately over the axle, which carries an upright rod, y, made adjustable by a setscrew, 1 which said rod is provided at its lower end with arms that fit over the rim of the wheel. \Vhen the device is to be used, its outer end is swung around so that the arms y embrace the rim. of the wheel. Then the setscrew is tightened, and the wheel isprevented from turning. When not in use, it is swung back, and rests against the side of the truck. This device, however, I do not claim as part of my present invention.

f 2 (see Fig. 1) is a rod, which is passed through openings or eyes formed near the outer ends of the arms a a andff, for the purpose of locking the platform and adding to its firmness when it has been raised into position for ac tion.

The dotted lines in Fig. 9 indicate the outlines of a sheetmetal covering or flooring,

V which is laid over and secured to the frame of the platform 0.

In Fig. 3 the full lines show my improved apparatus in position for action. When it is not inuse, the pipes K and the nozzle are detached from the pipe D, and the platform 0 having been lowered, the pipe D is held and carried in the position shown by-the dotted lines in said Fig. 3. To sustain the ends of the pipe while in this position, and. to prevent undue vibrations of the same while being carriedover rough pavements, straps or stir rups V V are provided, which are passed under the pipe, as shown. These straps may be made of leather -or other suitable material. One of these straps may be secured at one end to the body of the truck,-and the other one similarly secured to one of the bars a; and the opposite end of each is fastened by means of a buckle or other suitable means to the truck or the bar a, after it has been passed underneath the pipe.

I am aware that tower-pipes supported on special trucks or carriages and adapted to be raised and lowered and adjusted horizontally and vertically to play upon a particular point have heretofore been used, and I do not broadly claim that as my invention. By my improvement the use of a special carriage or truck for supporting the apparatus is dispensed with, the ordinary hook-and-ladder truck being adapted to be used for that purpose without impairing its efficiency in performing its ordinary work.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with an ordinary hookand-laddertruck, of the bracket B, constructed and attached to said truck, as described, and the swinging platform 0 and pipe D, said platform 0 being pivoted to said bracket, as described, and provided with thepivoted ring E, within which the pipe D is secured, the whole constructed and arranged in connection with suitable means for locking said platform when raised, as shown and described.

2. In combination with the bracket B,the swinging platform 0, pivoted to said bracket, and provided with the pivoted ring E, the pipe D, secured within said ring E, the swivelcd plate G, and the screw-rod F, said plate G being provided with a SOreW threaded opening at its center, in which said screw-rod F works, and said screw-rod F being pivoted at its lower end to the pipe D, the whole constructed and arranged as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

3. The swiveled plate G and screw F, in combination with the pipe D, platform 0, and pivoted ring E, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The pipe D, provided with the flanges p and p, carrying the hand-wheel R, in combination with the ring E, coupling H, and cylindrical sleeve 1", said ring and coupling being provided with the recesses q and q, respectively, and connected by said sleeve, as and for the the purpose set forth. I

5. The discharge-nozzle herein described, composed of the piece L, pipe M, tapering flexible and elastic'hose O, and hinge N, provided with the opening m, constructed and arranged as set forth.

JOHN R. DAY.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. HIBBARD, J r., JOHN S. THORNTON. 

